Where the experts holiday: Rosa Park

Rosa Park – editor of quarterly food/travel magazine Cereal – on Cornwall, Copenhagen and the Californian coastal town of Santa Barbara

Bulgaria ancient treasures, current events and great value

Anthony reports on Bulgaria and an extraordinary memorial garden created by a Queen for herself and meets up with two famous footballers…

Foreign Office

From the website:

“What we do

This is where you’ll find information on all our key roles from supporting British nationals overseas to promoting British business to legalising documents. ”

Jordan Attracts

Think of Jordan – the country – and the first thing that probably comes to mind is Petra, its greatest tourist attraction. Carved into a rockface more than 2,000 years ago, the city is one of the wonders and must-see places of the world.
But is it only Petra that has caused such an upsurge in tourism in the last 6 months? What is attracting so many people to go there? Many countries have seen only a limited increase in visitors but Jordan has announced that visits by Britons are up over 30% over last year. Admittedly 2009, was a tough year for everyone as we tightened belts during the recession but it was also the year that proved we felt holidays were an important aspect to life. Other things would be cut back first. Nonetheless there were countries we have chosen not go to such as the US and most Caribbean countries yet other long haul countries do well. Jordan is one of those.

Maldives Widens Tourist Appeal

The Maldives has been in the news quite a lot recently. Their cabinet, you might remember, held a cabinet meeting under water to highlight the effects of climate change. When you think of the Maldives the first thought is of a luxury holiday location. Now the tourism authority is trying to encourage 3 and 4 star hotels so that there is more on offer to suit every pocket. Independent travellers like backpackers are also welcome and will find it easier to get around as new infrastructure projects are completed.

Happy 30th Birthday

ow many loyalty cards do you have? A nectar card. A Tesco one. Maybe one for Boots. If you’re a regular flyer you might have one for an airline or a hotel chain. And then you might be a sad case like me who has a bulging wallet with some 20 odd cards.
But the granddaddy of them all is from American Airlines which this month, celebrates its thirtieth birthday.

Bed in a tree

Turned off by chain hotels? Bored with ‘boutique’? Bettina Kowalewski, author of Bed in a tree – a gorgeous coffee table book published by DK Eyewitness Travel about the world’s craziest, quirkiest places to stay– suggests provides some inspiring alternatives from an actual bed in a tree in South Africa to a hanging eco-sphere in Canada, a giant suitcase in Germany and glass igloo in Finland!